Pokemon - David's Journey
by ClianConnoisseur
Summary: A new trainers adventure in a never-before seen region. (Same Pokémon as Kanto region but different towns/cities).
1. The Next Generation

**The Next Generation**

"Happy birthday!" The room erupted with noise as David leaned forward and blew out the fourteen candles that adorned his huge, chocolate birthday cake. Everybody clapped and the cake was cut.

David smiled as he was handed the first chunk of cake. He was fourteen! He was finally old enough to look after and train Pokemon, and so could begin his Pokemon journey. He took a huge bite out of the cake in celebration.

David was sitting in his dining room with a selection of family and friends. There was his Mum, with her long brown hair hanging over her face as she laughed and joked with Mrs Fallworth, their next-door neighbour. Then there was David's Dad, who was in charge of cutting the cake. He had thick, greying-hair and sharp green eyes that missed nothing.

George and Sam, David's two best friends, were there also, chatting away aimlessly and scoffing down the chocolate cake. They too were fourteen, but their birthdays had been a lot earlier on in the year. David's was in August, meaning that he would always be one of the youngest in his school year. Sam was the taller and leaner of the two boys with blue eyes and dark blonde hair that always looked a mess. George was on the smaller side, with a slightly plumper body-shape. He had brown hair that was brushed forwards into a stylish fringe and green eyes. They were both very funny, constantly cracking jokes and because of this they got on with everybody at school. However, neither of them particularly liked Pokemon, and so were not too interested in going off on a journey to become Pokemon trainers.

Finally there was Mrs Fallworth and her son, Andy. He was the same age as David, having celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks before. Andy had sleek, well looked after black hair, and dark eyes that glared out from under his fringe disdainfully. David knew that Andy would rather be anywhere than there at that moment, and to be honest, David would rather Andy be somewhere else as well. David and Andy had never quite met eye to eye as their two personalities were like chalk and cheese; they weren't meant to go together.

David himself had brown messy hair that never stayed as he wanted it, no matter how hard he tried to brush it into place. Along with this, he had blue eyes and a couple of freckles dotted across his nose. David's dream was to become a Pokemon Master, one of the top Pokemon trainers around. To achieve this goal he would have to travel the lands, defeating anybody that stood in his way, which was soon to include Andy, as he too was to set off on his journey the next day.

Licking the last smears of chocolate off of his fingers, David leant back in his chair. His birthday party had come to an end. Seeing that David had finished, his Dad stood up and cleared his throat. The room fell silent.

"Well," he began, "thank you all for coming and I hope that you have all enjoyed yourselves."

There was a murmur of almost unanimous agreement at this. The sore thumb, as usual, was Andy, who sat with his arms folded and didn't say a word.

"So, the time has finally come for our son David to set off on his Pokemon journey," continued David's Dad, smiling proudly. "I hope I speak for us all in wishing him luck and courage for his journey ahead."

Sam and George nodded and patted David on the back.

"Now," began David's Dad, "we come to the small matter of David's first Pokemon..."

"Small matter?" exclaimed Sam, and everyone laughed; even Andy's lips twitched slightly upwards.

David's Dad chuckled. "The local Pokemon Professor, Professor Willow, is giving a Pokemon to beginner trainers to help them kick-start their journeys. These Pokemon include Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, and the hand out will commence tomorrow." David's Dad looked at David at this point. "This is no small matter, absolutely. You should know that the Pokemon you choose will be your long-term partner and friend, and so this decision should not be taken lightly."

David nodded solemnly. He already knew all of this and had spent hours pondering over which Pokemon to choose. Even after all of that time though, he was still none the wiser as to whom he would like out of the three to be his long-term partner.

"This is not only a challenge for David though; Andy Fallworth will also be undertaking this huge decision tomorrow!"

Everybody looked at Andy who shrugged as if he couldn't care less. "No big deal, I have already chosen if you must know."

David clenched his fists angrily. Andy was treating this decision as if it didn't even matter!

David's Dad nodded before turning away from Andy. David could see that he too was angry at Andy's remark. "Now that's all said and done then, thank you all for coming and we hope you have enjoyed yourselves!"

At this, everyone began to chatter amongst themselves again and slowly head towards the front door.

Andy and Mrs Fallworth were the first to leave, with Mrs Fallworth wishing David the best of luck whilst her son walked out without a word. After them it was George and Sam. They both lived nearby as well and so would be walking home.

"Thanks for the party!" exclaimed George, "it was great!"

"Only 'cause you ate so much cake!" chuckled Sam and David's family laughed.

George shook his head while laughing.

"So, I guess it is goodbye for now," said David, looking sadly at his two friends.

"Yeah," sighed Sam, "I'm sure we'll see you around here again though."

George laughed. "And if one day, when you're a Pokemon Master, you think of your two best friends, don't be shy to pop round and say hi."

Laughing David nodded. "Don't worry, I won't forget you guys."

The three boys all looked at one and other and nodded.

"Bye guys," murmured David.

"Bye David," the two boys replied in unison, sadness evident in their voices. Then, after one last shake of hands, they were gone.

David turned to his Mum and Dad with a growing feeling of sadness.

"Go on," said David's Mum smiling kindly, "you go off and get yourself an early night, you'll be needing your sleep come tomorrow!"

"Thanks for the party, both of you," murmured David gratefully, trying to stop his voice from cracking with emotion. He was fourteen now, he couldn't cry. "See you tomorrow morning." And with that, he rushed off upstairs and collapsed onto his bed.

Rolling onto his back, David rubbed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. There was the poster of his idol, Axel the Dragon Master, standing beside his mighty dragon-like Pokemon, Dragonite.

Dragonite was quite a bulky looking Pokemon, with three sharp claws at the ends of its arms and legs. Its colouration was that of a distinctive orange, although it had a cream-coloured, striated underbelly and a pair of small green wings which were somehow able to keep it in the air. Dragonite stood slightly taller than Axel, and on the top of its head were a pair of S-shaped yellow antennae and an orange horn. As David studied Dragonite, he subconsciously began to think of a strategy on how to defeat it in a Pokemon battle - a test of strength and connection between Pokemon and trainer against an opposing team.

"I am making the right choice to go," David told himself, "it is my dream and I shouldn't let anything hold me back!" Having spent nine years learning about Pokemon at school, he couldn't wait to put his knowledge into practice. "And one day I will even battle Axel, the Dragon Master," murmured David, staring up at the poster. Then, quickly getting undressed and climbing into his pyjamas, David fell into a sound and contented sleep.

David was standing at the edge of the battlefield, the crowd cheering all around him. Across the battlefield from him stood Axel the Dragon Master, his blonde hair blowing in the breeze.

"And facing the Dragon Master today is David Masterson from Greenvale Village!" came the voice over the tannoy.

As the announcement ended, Axel drew a poke ball from his dark blue coat and threw it into the air. It burst open, releasing the huge dragon Pokemon, Dragonite.

"Ohhh!" exclaimed the loudspeaker's voice, "and Axel has chosen his legendary Dragonite. How will David counter this?"

David reached for his pocket and drew a poke ball out of it. He hurled it into the air and as he did he yelled "I choose you..."

David opened one eye as he felt someone shaking him. "Five more minutes," he grumbled, wanting to return to the land of his dreams.

"Wake up David!" exclaimed his Mum, "or else you'll be late to Professor Willow's Pokemon hand out!"

Hearing this, David leapt out of bed. "Right, sorry, I'll be down for breakfast in... three seconds!"

David's Mum chuckled. "Okay then, you've got some toast waiting for you." She left the room.

Quick as a flash, David got dressed and hurtled down the stairs, excitement spurring him on. He sat down at the kitchen table and gulped down his toast, and when he was offered more by his Dad he declined. He was too nervous to eat anything!

David ran upstairs and began to check his bag. He had packed way in advance so as to make sure he wouldn't forget anything, but still, he wanted to double check. There were some clothes, a couple of bottles of water, some energy bars, a couple of tins of food and a few toiletries. Also, strapped to the top of the bag was a rolled up sleeping bag, ready for when David needed to camp out for the night.

"I really hope that's everything," gulped David, as he grabbed his wallet from his bedside table. It contained some bank notes and David's debit card. If his bank account ever dried up his parents had promised to refill it as soon as possible, meaning that David would be able to purchase all of the supplies he would need on his travels.

Checking his bedroom over once, David nodded and closed the door. He wouldn't be sleeping in there for a while, that was for sure. He then quickly went and brushed his teeth before slowly descending the stairs. At the bottom awaited his Mum and Dad.

His Mum had tears in her eyes as he embraced her. "You'll have a great time on your journey I'm sure," she said.

Meanwhile, his Dad had a proud look on his face, and he shook David's hand. "Don't worry about us back at home," he murmured, "go and give it your best shot!"

David smiled reassuringly, trying to hold back the stream of tears. "Thank you," he gulped, "I'll do my best for you." Then, without looking back, David strode out of the house.

As David turned out of the field that surrounded his house and onto the main road of Greenvale village, he looked around at the houses where his friends lived. All of the curtains were still drawn as it was early, so David wouldn't be able to say goodbye properly. Yet, he knew that one day he would see them again, when he was a Pokemon master.

At the end of the road, David came to a halt. He was standing in front of his school, the school he'd learnt so much at and made so many friends at. He knew that he could never forget the people he'd met there and the great times they'd had together.

"I'll make you all proud," promised David, "I'll make sure I don't let you down after everything you've taught me and all of the support you've given me. Thank you."

Looking across from the school, David saw the narrow field lane that would lead him to Professor Willow's laboratory. Taking a deep breath, he turned and began to walk down the lane under the green shadow of the trees formed by the early morning sunshine.

Professor Willow lived out in the middle of nowhere, and David knew that this was for a number of reasons. First of all, he needed plenty of space for the Pokemon he looked after. These Pokemon were either being raised by the Professor himself, or were being looked after by him for Pokemon trainers (as they could only take six Pokemon around with them on their journey at a time).

Next, there was the fact that it was away from the crowds, giving the Professor plenty of breathing space to conduct his research into Pokemon biology etc. Plus, there were the breathtaking views across the fields. This would surely count as inspiration for the Professor and therefore must be a top reason for living out in the countryside, or at least David thought so anyway.

After about ten minutes of walking down the sun-baked lane, the laboratory finally came into view. It was a huge building, made up of purely white bricks. A path led to a pair of red doors, and the walls beside them sported floor to ceiling windows that could look out over the Professor's land. It truly was a magnificent site for a laboratory, with so much space around it! However, even though there was so much space, there was no sign of any Pokemon.

"Perhaps he's moved them so that they don't interfere with the Pokemon handout," murmured David to himself. He thought that this was probably true but a little unnecessary.

David opened the wooden gate that offered entry into the Professor's fenced-off land and began slowly ascending the path that led up to the big double doors of the laboratory. This was to be a pivotal point in his life, and so shouldn't be rushed.

As he walked his mind was racing; which Pokemon should he choose? He thought he had come to a decision earlier on, but now that the time had actually come, David was once again unsure.

"Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle?" pondered David as he arrived at the double doors and knocked.

He was still racking his brains when the door was opened.

"Good morning," said the man who had opened the door. "David Masterson I presume?" The man had short black hair, green eyes and was of a slim build. He was wearing a pair of glasses and a white lab coat, with smart black trousers to top off the look.

David, realising how scruffy he must look in his loose jeans, white trainers and burgundy hoodie blushed slightly. "Nice to meet you," he replied politely.

Smiling, the man ushered David inside and closed the doors behind him. David surveyed the interior of the building. He was in a homely-looking corridor, with a light red carpet and pictures up on the walls. There were a couple of doors that led off to the left and right but the man led David down the full length of the corridor and to the door at the end. Through this door lay a high-ceilinged circular room, with white-washed walls and tables with computers resting on them dotted around. Another of the huge windows from the front of the building took up most of one side of the room and a couple of bookcases filled to the brim with books stood beside the window. A few more men and women in white coats were in this room, two on computers at the edge of the room and one standing in the centre by a big desk. This man was studying David with a curious expression on his face as the fourteen year old approached.

"Professor," said the man who had been David's guide, "this is David Masterson."

Suddenly realising who he was addressing, David stood up a little straighter. First impressions were always important, and he knew that he needed to make a good first impression here.

"Ah, David!" exclaimed Professor Willow grinning, "How wonderful to finally meet you! I've heard plenty about you from your parents and school teachers and have been looking forward to seeing you in person."

"Likewise," replied David, also smiling. The Professor wasn't as intimidating as he'd thought he might be, with a short stature and broad shoulders. He also had brown curly hair and was wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses along with a white lab coat and a pair of smart black trousers.

The Professor's grin grew even broader. "If only all beginner trainers were as polite as you," he chuckled, "that Andy Fallworth we saw earlier could learn a few lessons from you..."

David felt his heart stop. "Andy's been here already?" he blurted, mortified.

Professor Willow nodded. "Why the horror?" he queried.

Gritting his teeth, David explained to the Professor how he and Andy were unannounced rivals, and would always be competing, whatever the competition.

"I see..." murmured the Professor as David finished, "well, in that case let's get down to buisness; the quicker the better, eh?"

Professor Willow then turned back to the desk, which was covered in a white cloth. Resting on this cloth were three fist sized spheres, their top halves coloured red and bottom halves white, with a thick black line separating the two. Between these two halves lay a small, round button.

"These are poke balls," explained the Professor, "and in each is a Pokemon. Bulbasaur..."

"...Charmander and Squirtle," cut in David, before he suddenly realised what he'd done. "Oh, sorry..."

The Professor grinned. "You've obviously done your research," he said, impressed. "So, even though Andy has already chosen and taken one Pokemon, there is another of the same in one of these poke balls, so you are not at an unfair disadvantage."

David nodded. "May I see the Pokemon before I make my decision?" he asked.

"Why of course!" replied the Professor, "you may do the honours David." He gestured towards the poke balls and David realised that he was allowing him to release the Pokemon.

"...thank you!" exclaimed David, flustered. He had never let a Pokemon out of its poke ball before and a feeling of elation washed over him as he picked up the first one. "Come on out!" he breathed, and the poke ball suddenly opened in his hand, releasing a burst of white light from its confines. The white light landed on the table and disappeared, leaving a quadruped, reptilian creature in its place. This Pokemon vaguely resembled that of a toad or a young dinosaur, with a spotted blue-green hide and bright red eyes. It had three white claws on each of its four legs and an onion shaped green bulb on its back.

"Bulbasaur!" said the Pokemon, taking in its surroundings.

"This is Bulbasaur," explained the Professor, "and as you can tell, like most Pokemon, the only thing it can say is its name."

"Bulbasaur's a grass type Pokemon, isn't it?" queried David, placing the empty poke ball down on the table beside the reptilian Pokemon.

The Professor nodded. "All Pokemon have types, some have one, and others have two. It all depends on the Pokemon. As a trainer, you must learn which Pokemon is of which type and what types have an advantage and disadvantage over them in battle, etcetera."

David inclined his head, showing that he understood. Then he moved over to the next poke ball and picked it up. "Out you come!" he called, and again the poke ball burst open in his hand, releasing a bright white light. The light settled on the table and vanished, leaving an orange, reptilian creature in its place. This Pokemon was bipedal, and resembled a tailed salamander. When it opened its mouth, David could see that it had four sharp fangs. It also sported a cream coloured underside and a flame flickering at the tip of its tail.

"This is Charmander," announced Professor Willow. "It is a fire type Pokemon, meaning that it has a type advantage over a grass type Pokemon like Bulbasaur."

"Hi Charmander!" exclaimed David.

The fourteen year old then turned to the final poke ball and said "You're up next, come on out!" A bright white light burst out of the poke ball and landed on the table. It shimmered and disappeared, revealing a small, tailed, bipedal Pokemon. It resembled a light blue turtle, with its most notable feature being the shell on its back. This shell was of a brown colouration, with a yellow underside, and it looked pretty sturdy.

"And last but not least, this is Squirtle," explained the Professor. "Squirtle is a water type Pokemon, and so has a type advantage over Charmander. However, Bulbasaur, being a grass type Pokemon, has the type advantage over it."

"So all have their strengths and their weaknesses," murmured David, taking a step back and looking at each of the Pokemon in turn. "But, who to choose..."

Just then, the door that David had come in through burst open.

"Professor Willow, Professor Willow!" yelled the girl who had just come in. "There's someone here to see you about the Pokemon they left at your lab!"

The Professor looked at David and sighed. "I'll continue this with you in a bit," he assured the eager teenager. "Wait for me here, I shouldn't be too long." Then, turning away from David the Professor called, "I'm on my way!" He took a step forwards but stopped abruptly, as if he had forgotten something important. "Ah, Annabel?"

"Yes?" the girl replied.

"Can you wait here and supervise the three Pokemon for me?"

"Will do Professor!" exclaimed the girl enthusiastically.

With that, the Professor left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.

The girl, who could be no older than David yet was now seemingly in charge, came over to the table of Pokemon. She had brown plaited hair that fell down to just past her shoulders, shiny green eyes, and she was wearing a pink cardigan that was open at the front to reveal a white T-shirt underneath. On her legs she wore a pair of sandy-coloured chinos, breaking the trend of white lab coats and smart black trousers.

"Hello," she said as she approached, "I take it you're the boy who came to get his starter Pokemon, Andy isn't it?"

"David," corrected David, "and you're Annabel I presume?"

Annabel grinned toothily. "That's me!" Turning away from David, the girl glanced at the three Pokemon lined up on the table. Bulbasaur seemed to have decided to take a nap, Charmander was playing with the flame on its tail and Squirtle had taken to spinning around inside its shell.

"Stop that, that's dangerous!" exclaimed Annabel, realising that the two hyper Pokemon could cause one and other harm if they weren't careful.

David stifled a laugh and saw the Professor's other assistants speaking to one and other in hushed voices, occasionally looking over at Annabel with concern in their eyes. Realising that he should probably help, David went over to the table and grabbed Squirtle's shell, preventing it from spinning. Squirtle popped its head angrily out of its shell but did nothing more.

Annabel, who had just managed to calm Charmander down, gave David a grateful smile.

"Thanks for that," she said, standing back from the table and sighing.

"No problem," replied David. Feeling as though he should strike up a conversation with the girl to pass the time, he asked "who are you then? Professor Willow's daughter?"

Annabel blushed. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, "I am here learning all I can about Pokemon, because one day I want to be a Pokemon Professor, just like Professor Willow!"

Trying hard not to laugh, David nodded. This girl seemed so untrained in the ways of Pokemon, even he could see it and he'd barely begun his journey!

Apparently, Annabel could read minds, because she laughed. "Yeah I know, poor show if I'm a future Pokemon Professor right?"

David shrugged, taking into account the girl's age. "Well, to be fair you can only be about thirteen or so..."

"Fourteen," cut in Annabel.

"Exactly."

This time it was Annabel who shrugged. "The Professor knew everything there was to know about Pokemon when he was fourteen, or so I've heard."

David lowered his voice so that none of the Professor's assistants would hear him. "I highly doubt that," he murmured.

Annabel shrugged but gave David a begrudging smile. "So, have you decided what Pokemon you're going to pick yet?" she asked.

"Well..." began David, turning back to look at the table. "I was thinking maybe..." his voice trailed off.

"I know, tough choice, right?" chuckled Annabel, obviously taking David's silence as a signal that he was still unsure.

"Annabel... no, I mean... the Pokemon... they're gone!" stammered David, staring, dumbstruck, at the bare table in front of him.

It took the girl a moment to realise what David was talking about, but when she did, she looked as if she were about to faint. She span around to check for herself and gulped.

"Where... where are they?"

Quickly scanning the room, David caught a glimpse of Squirtle disappearing out of the door that the Professor had left ajar. "Oh no!" he cried, pointing to the door so that Annabel could see.

Annabel's face went pale. "We need to get after them, quick!"

"But what do we tell them?" hissed David, nodding towards the oblivious assistants.

"Leave them to me," murmured Annabel, before grabbing the empty poke balls off of the table.

David watched as Annabel ran up to one of the assistants and said, "Just popping out for a little walk with the Pokemon, be back in a bit." Then, before the assistant could reply Annabel had grabbed David and was pulling him out through the door.

Once they were out of the room, the two of them sprinted down the corridor and past the doors that David had seen earlier on. None of them appeared to have been opened by the escaping Pokemon and so David and Annabel ignored them.

When they reached the front door, however, they realised that this was going to be a more difficult task than anticipated. The door was wide open, revealing a vast expanse of grass with no sign of any Pokemon.

Handing David one of the empty poke balls, Annabel said, "I'll go right, you go left; meet back here in an hour." Then, as quick as a flash, she was off.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, David turned the opposite way and began to run, hoping against hope that none of the Pokemon had gotten hurt.

The long grass that covered most of the land owned by Professor Willow was covered in dew, making David's jeans wet and uncomfortable as he ran. The sun didn't help either. It was too hot, making it hard to run in, and so, regrettably, David had to slow to a walk.

"Great, just great," he murmured, angry at himself for not keeping an eye on the Pokemon. "This was supposed to be the start of an adventure. Now I don't think the Professor will ever trust me with a Pokemon!" David wildly kicked out at the ground in front of him, rage coursing through his body.

A crackling and hissing sound coming from the teenager's right made him freeze, however. Any feelings of anger were quickly replaced with those of terror, and he turned around to see smoke rising from the woods a couple of metres away from him.

Then, David heard something that made his blood run cold; the cry of a Pokemon coming from within the smoking trees.

Without even considering his own safety, David was off, sprinting into the woods. Within seconds he had passed the first smoking tree and entered the now flickering flames.

"I'm coming!" he called, trying to reassure whatever Pokemon it was that had managed to get itself trapped in the blaze.

A cry came in reply from his left, and David changed direction, dodging a burning branch that fell as he went. However, he couldn't escape the smoke, which was beginning to make his eyes water and his throat constrict.

Coughing, David soldiered on until he came upon a fallen tree, surrounded by burning branches and wood. Trapped beneath this tree was the Charmander from Professor Willow's trio of Pokemon, and it was breathing out flames in panic. Bulbasaur and Squirtle were nearby, with Bulbasaur trying to calm the terrified fire-type down whilst simultaneously dodging falling branches of fire. Squirtle, on the other hand, had retreated within its shell in fright.

"How did you...manage to get yourself stuck under...there?" spluttered David, trying hard not to breathe in too much smoke. He covered his mouth with his sleeve and moved forwards, wary of the falling branches and flames.

Getting as close as he could to the frightened fire-type, David knelt down and drew out the empty poke ball that Annabel had given him. He held it up so that Charmander could see it. Soothingly, he said "Charmander, it's all right. If you calm down I can get you out from under the tree by returning you to your poke ball. I don't want to recall you when you're upset, because then you'll be worrying the whole time you're inside the poke ball."

He continued talking to Charmander, trying hard to ignore the ever-expanding fire and the tightness he was feeling in his chest because of the smoke. It seemed to be working though, as Charmander began to calm down and even stopped spewing flames. It looked at David, its eyes full of fear.

"Don't worry," murmured David reassuringly, "everything's going to be all right. I'm going to recall you to your poke ball now, okay?"

Charmander nodded.

"Okay then Charmander, return!" exclaimed David, holding up the poke ball and pointing it button-first towards the salamander-like Pokemon, as he'd seen done on T.V. A red beam of light shot out of the button upon command and hit Charmander, engulfing it in a red glow. The poke ball then opened up in David's hand and the red light retreated inside, taking Charmander with it. David sighed with relief. One Pokemon was safe.

The tree that had fallen upon Charmander thudded to the ground, with nothing supporting it now that the fire type had gone. As it hit the ground, embers flew off of the bark and scattered across the grass at David's feet. Before he could do anything, a fire was flickering to life under the soles of the teenager's shoes, and he leapt into the air in pain, his feet searing from the heat.

"We need to get out of here," gulped David, as the fire quickly spread across the grass. He looked over at Bulbasaur and Squirtle. Bulbasaur was furiously trying to get the turtle-Pokemon to come out of its shell so that it could run and escape, but Squirtle was too terrified to move.

Admiring Bulbasaur's loyalty and courage, David hurried over and picked up Squirtle. He then glanced down at Bulbasaur, who knew exactly what the budding trainer was thinking.

"Run!" yelled David, before sprinting back the way he had come with Bulbasaur close behind him.

The duo dodged a couple more burning branches before emerging from the blazing woods into the clear air. David took a couple more steps away from the burning trees before collapsing into the long grass. It felt as comfy as a bed, and David placed Squirtle down beside him. It still hadn't re-emerged from its shell. Fortunately, Bulbasaur was all right, and was lying beside David, looking as exhausted as he felt.

"We did it," murmured David.

Bulbasaur smiled happily back. "Bulbasaur, bulba."

David grinned, but suddenly found himself doubled over as a fit of coughing overwhelmed his body. He grimaced, realising that the smoke had done more damage to his lungs than he'd first thought. "No matter," he murmured, pushing himself upwards into a sitting position. Just then, all that mattered was that the Pokemon were safe. His own well-being was next in line.

"David!" Annabel's voice rang out across the fields.

Squinting towards where the voice had come from, David yelled back "Annabel! We're over here!"

The brown haired girl soon came into view, with Professor Willow at her side. David waved and the two ran towards him.

"Are you all right?" asked Professor Willow anxiously, as he and Annabel arrived at David's side.

David grinned. "I'll live," he replied. "The important thing is that I've got all of the Pokemon with me."

The Professor looked relieved upon hearing this, but not as relieved as Annabel looked. She mouthed a silent 'thank you' to David.

Turning towards the blazing trees, Professor Willow sighed. "I think it's best if we just let that burn itself out. Shame though, I liked those woods..." He looked back at David, Bulbasaur and Squirtle. "Let's get you lot inside," he said, "It looks like you could all do with a bit of a rest."


	2. A Pokemon Trainer is Born

**A Pokemon Trainer is Born**

David took a sip of the refreshingly cold water that Professor Willow had offered him. He was sitting in what he presumed to be the Professor's living room, with a couple of sofa's, an armchair, a low glass table on which some papers were resting and a big T.V screen in one corner. The walls were lined with detailed paintings of exotic-looking Pokemon along with a huge window that looked out over Professor Willow's acres of land.

Sitting in the room with David was Annabel, Professor Willow and the Bulbasaur that had escaped the flaming thicket with David. Bulbasaur lay on the rug by David's feet, Annabel sat on the other sofa and Professor Willow occupied the armchair.

"Well David," announced Professor Willow, breaking the silence. "You have certainly had an eventful first morning of your Pokemon journey."

David felt his face reddening in embarrassment.

Professor Willow laughed. "Don't worry about it!" he chuckled, as he took a sip from his glass, "compared to how I began my Pokemon journey, this is nothing!"

A wave of relief washed over David, who had thought that perhaps this meeting would signal the end of his journey before it had even begun. "Really?" David grinned, "What happened?"

"That's another tale for another time," replied Professor Willow, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, we need to talk about you David, and you as well Annabel. I have a little proposition to make the two of you."

David leant forward in his seat expectantly, and he saw Annabel turn to face the Professor.

"What kind of proposition?" the girl asked.

"Well," began the Professor, "I have started to realise, Annabel, that you remaining here by my side perhaps isn't the best way for you to learn about Pokemon. Therefore, I propose that you join David on his journey to go and discover the wonders of Pokemon for yourself, rather than just hearing about them from me. Doing it yourself, I believe, is a much better way of learning than being told about it by someone." He paused to let this sink in. "So, now the decision rests with you and David."

Annabel looked so stunned at the idea that David almost laughed. "I suppose I wouldn't mind if you decided to tag along," he told the brown-haired girl.

For a moment there was silence.

"But my parents wanted me to come and be your apprentice!" exclaimed Annabel, "what would they think if I suddenly went off travelling around the region when I'm meant to be learning about Pokemon from you!"

"I will get in touch with your parent's right away Annabel, if you agree, that is. I'm sure they will soon come around to the idea that this is the best way for you to learn," assured the Professor.

Annabel glanced over at David with an expression of curiosity.

After a moment or two of her scrutinising him, Annakbel sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right Professor," she acknowledged.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Professor Willow happily. "You will thank me for it Annabel, I promise." He turned to David. "So, shall we pick up where we left off?" he asked, standing up to leave.

"No need Professor," replied David, looking down at the Pokemon at his feet. He thought back to how loyal and caring Bulbasaur had been in the blazing woods and knew that this was the right choice to make. "I have made my decision. I would like Bulbasaur to be my first Pokemon."

The Professor raised an eyebrow and grinned, as if he knew something David didn't. "Well then Bulbasaur, what do you say to this?"

Bulbasaur, realising it was being addressed, opened its eyes and looked at the Professor. It then glanced up at David before resting its head on David's feet affectionately.

"I think that's a yes," announced the Professor, grinning. Having said this, he reached into his white coat and held something out to David. "Here's Bulbasaur's poke ball," he explained, as David took it from the Professor's outstretched hand.

David held the poke ball, awestruck. He'd been waiting his whole life to be given his own Pokemon and now that it had actually happened he was overcome with emotion. "Thank you so much Professor. I promise I will take good care of Bulbasaur," vowed David, his hand with the poke ball in it shaking slightly.

"I'm sure you will," said the Professor, smiling kindly. He looked back over at Annabel. "And I suppose I can't let you leave without a Pokemon can I? It's too dangerous for someone without a Pokemon to go travelling, in case you get attacked by wild Pokemon."

Annabel's eyes widened. "I'm... I'm getting a Pokemon?" she blurted, stunned at the suggestion.

"You certainly are," replied the Professor, reaching into his white coat and bringing out two more poke balls. "Now, the poke ball in my left hand contains Charmander, and the poke ball in my right is Squirtle's. I have checked them over after their excursion in the woods and they are both fine and fit for travelling. Which would you like?"

The girl's jaw dropped. "How am I meant to make that decision now..." she began, but the Professor cut her off.

"You've been working with these Pokemon for a while now Annabel," he said. "I think you know who you want deep down."

David could see Annabel's mind whirring as she considered the offer. He felt a bit of sympathy for the girl, as he knew just how tough this decision was to make. It would affect the rest of her life, and so she needed to make the right choice.

Eventually, after much contemplation, Annabel nodded at the poke ball in Professor Willow's right hand. "I choose Squirtle."

At this, the Professor drew back Charmander's poke ball and placed it in his lab coat pocket. He then handed the poke ball that contained Squirtle to Annabel. "I'm sure I can trust you to look after Squirtle," he murmured, looking Annabel in the eyes. "And for both of you, I have these," he announced, reaching once more into his seemingly bottomless lab coat pocket. Out of it, he brought a handful of ten poke balls in their contracted, miniature form, and two red, rectangular-shaped objects. Between the two teenagers, Professor Willow equally shared the poke balls and the rectangular objects.

"Empty poke balls for catching new Pokemon in on your journeys," he explained, as he gave the trainers five of the spheres each. David pocketed the poke balls before studying the red, rectangular object. It seemed to have a screen that slid out from behind it, and on the back of this screen was a camera lens. When David turned the object around so as to inspect the camera lens a little more closely, a light next to the lens flashed in his face; he almost dropped the machine in surprise.

"Ah, I haven't told you about that have I?" chuckled the Professor, obviously enjoying the pair's confusion. "That is a Poke'Dex. It contains data on all of the Pokemon within this region. Just point the lens on the back of it at any Pokemon and the screen will slide up and give you a brief description on it. However, if the Pokemon you want to look up isn't in evidence, you can just type in its name on the touch screen, which is what is visible when you look at it from the front."

Looking back down at the rectangular object in his hand, David suddenly realised what a useful tool this was going to be for his journey. However, the Professor hadn't answered all of his questions on it yet.

"If it's a Poke'Dex that has data on Pokemon, why did it take a picture of me?" he demanded.

"Ah." Professor Willow cleared his throat. "This Poke'Dex is not only a useful tool for looking up Pokemon on, it is also a license for you to be able to catch and train Pokemon. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that neither of you lose this."

David placed a protective hand over the top of the machine upon hearing this. If he lost it, he would no longer be able to follow his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master!

"So," continued the Professor. "The reason that it took a picture of you is so that it has proof that this Poke'Dex belongs to you. I have taken the time to key in all of your details, so it has a record of the two of you if ever anyone asks to see your license."

As if it knew it was being spoken about, the Poke'Dex in David's hands screen slid open and the picture of David it had just taken was displayed. A mechanical voice then rang out across the room. "This Poke'Dex is a license, authorised by Professor Willow of Greenvale village, which states that David Masterson, also of Greenvale village, can capture and train Pokemon." Having said this, the screen slid back down behind the touchpad and became dormant once more.

"Yours will do the same Annabel," informed the Professor, "so make sure you take good care of it!"

Annabel nodded. "Don't worry Professor Willow, I will make sure I keep it safe," she promised.

The Professor smiled and stood up, studying the two teenagers carefully. "I predict a bright future for the both of you," he said, slowly moving towards the living room door and opening it. "Now, that is all the information I have to give you. All that is left for me to say is good luck and take care!"

David stood up, following the Professor's lead. As he did so, he nudged Bulbasaur gently with his foot. "Time for us to go," he murmured, "are you ready?"

"Bulba!" exclaimed Bulbasaur, clambering up onto all fours.

Smiling, David had a quick stretch before walking through the living room door that the Professor was holding open for him, with Bulbasaur close at his heels. David then turned down the corridor and strode towards the front door of Professor Willow's laboratory. He opened it upon arrival and looked out over the Professor's vast lands, inhaling the country air that was unfortunately still tinged with the smell of smoke.

"Well, enjoy yourselves," came Professor Willow's voice from behind David, and the fourteen year old turned to see the stocky Professor with Annabel standing beside him.

"I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, how can I not enjoy it!" exclaimed David.

Professor Willow laughed kindly at this remark. "And Annabel," he said, turning to the girl beside him, "I'll expect you to be a top-notch Pokemon Researcher when you return!"

"No pressure then!" joked Annabel, who had somehow gotten a rucksack on her back out of nowhere. She stepped forwards and stood next to David and Bulbasaur.

"Farewell young travellers," sighed the Professor, his eyes misting over as if he was revisiting his past as a budding Pokemon trainer.

"Good bye for now Professor Willow," replied David, and he reached out and shook the Professor's hand.

This brought Professor Willow back to his senses, and he smiled at David. "And as a thank you for saving my Pokemon, David Masterson, if ever you capture more than six Pokemon, you can send a few to me and I will look after them for you until you want them back."

David grinned manically; he felt so happy he could almost burst! This had been just what he'd been hoping for.

"It was no problem at all to help out a Pokemon in need," assured David. "And thank you for that Professor, I really appreciate it."

Nodding, Professor Willow said "now off you go, I don't want to keep you standing here all day. Enjoy yourselves and keep in touch to let me know how you're getting on!"

"We will!" exclaimed Annabel, before she, David, and Bulbasaur turned away from the Professor and took the first few steps of their journey.

"So, if we go south we'll be on our way to Ashagrove town," stated Annabel, carefully studying a map that was far too big for her hand span.

David shook his head. "No, I need to go north first, to Champions Cove."

Annabel looked up from her map at David. "What's so special about Champions Cove? It's virtually a dead end."

"I need to see it before I go," replied David, not meeting Annabel's eyes. He knew she would get suspicious about his intentions, but what of it? It wasn't that important anyway. "Come on, it's not far. We'll be there and back before you know it."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "If you say so David; this better be worth the effort though."

David laughed; Annabel was turning out to be good company already! He then looked up the road that would lead the duo to Champions Cove. It brought back memories of the times he had gone there on school trips and with his family. He had loved playing in the water, splashing it at George and Sam before then confiding his secret dream of becoming a Pokemon Master in them down in one of the little caves. It was there that David had decided that he would turn his dream into reality, and so it was there that he would visit first on his journey.

As David and Annabel trudged up the road, David couldn't help noticing that Annabel had her poke ball with Squirtle in it out in her hand, and was staring at it with a look of worry in her eyes.

"What's up?" queried David, who had returned Bulbasaur to its poke ball shortly after leaving the Professor's laboratory so that it could have some rest after its eventful morning in the blazing woods.

"What if Squirtle doesn't like me?" was Annabel's reply. She looked really quite upset about it. "What if it wished it had a different trainer?"

David was surprised at this sudden outburst, and quickly tried to reassure the girl. "Why do you think that? I'm sure Squirtle wouldn't rather have any other trainer!"

"Do you think so?" asked Annabel, her voice quavering slightly.

"Yeah!" exclaimed David, trying to sound more convinced than he felt. "All that time you spent with it at Professor Willow's laboratory; there's no doubt it will like you! In fact, why don't you let Squirtle out and ask it yourself?"

Annabel nodded, her trembling hand steadying itself. "Okay, let's give it a try. Squirtle, come on out!"

As she said this, the poke ball in her hand sprung open, releasing a glaring white light that settled itself on the path in front of the two young teenagers. The light promptly vanished, leaving in its place the blue, bipedal Pokemon with the shell on its back that David had seen at Professor Willow's laboratory earlier that day.

Squirtle blinked, its eyes adjusting to the sunlight. "Squirtle?" it said, looking up at Annabel with a puzzled expression on its round face.

Annabel looked nervously over at David, who nodded encouragingly. "Do..." she stammered, turning back to Squirtle, "do you mind that I'm your trainer, Squirtle?"

Squirtle shook its head before spraying Annabel with water from its mouth. Annabel's eyes widened in disbelief, and after Squirtle had finished attacking her, she stood there, dripping wet - too stunned to move. However, David found this rather amusing, and couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"I think Squirtle's trying to tell you that it thinks you're stupid for believing that it wouldn't like you as its trainer," he chuckled.

Annabel, whose hair and clothes were quickly drying in the midday sunlight, couldn't help but smile. "So, the reason you sprayed me is because you like me?" she asked the little turtle Pokemon.

Squirtle went to shoot some more water at her but this time Annabel was ready, and she darted out of the way. She laughed and embraced Squirtle in a tight hug.

"Squirt, Squirtle!" exclaimed the water type Pokemon, who was struggling to breathe as Annabel was hugging it so tightly.

"Oh, sorry," apologised Annabel, releasing Squirtle from her embrace. The tiny-turtle Pokemon sucked in a large, lungful of air, before it playfully began to shoot more water at her from its mouth.

David smiled. Annabel and Squirtle were made for one another!

The duo continued their stroll towards Champions Cove with Squirtle out of its poke ball and walking beside them. As they walked, David began to survey the surrounding area in search of wild Pokemon. His upbringing in Greenvale village had never brought him face to face with many Pokemon, and so he was curious to find out as much about the mysterious creatures as he could.

Being a licensed Pokemon trainer, he was allowed to carry six Pokemon around with him at a time. If he caught any more than six, with poke balls that he bought from shops, they would automatically lock themselves up until either David released one of his other Pokemon into the wild to make room for the new Pokemon in his party, or sent the poke ball to Professor Willow, whom had promised to look after any extra Pokemon David captured on his journey. David had Bulbasaur as the first of his six Pokemon, meaning that if he wanted to get five more he would have to catch them from the wild, which could be tricky as some wild Pokemon were pretty tough from what he'd heard.

As if drawn by his thoughts, something rustled in the long grass close by. David immediately spun around, to identify what had caused the disturbance and saw a flash of purple as a small, rodent-like Pokemon bounded out of the long grass and faced him assuredly. It was quite an unimpressive looking creature, with its most notable feature being the two large teeth that protruded from its upper jaw. It had long whiskers and a tail that curled slightly. The underside of its body was made up of cream coloured fur whilst the rest of it was covered in a deep purple coat.

"What is it?" murmured David, thinking aloud.

"Why not get out your Poke'Dex and find out?" directed Annabel, having also noticed the small, rodent Pokemon.

David hurriedly scrambled about inside his jeans pocket in search of the red, rectangular machine that Professor Willow had entrusted with him earlier that day. Fortunately, by the time that David had gotten out his Poke'Dex, the little Pokemon hadn't run off. The budding trainer pointed the lens of the machine at the creature, as Professor Willow had instructed him to do, and the Poke'Dex's back screen slid upwards and clicked into place above the touch screen. A picture of the Pokemon appeared on the top screen, and the Poke'Dex's mechanical voice rang out; "Rattata, the Mouse Pokemon. This Pokemon has a hardy vitality, meaning that it can survive in almost any environment. When it feels threatened, Rattata can deliver a powerful bite." Then, having given David the information required, the Poke'Dex's top screen slid back into its dormant position and became inactive once more.

Slipping the Poke'Dex back into his pocket, David studied the Rattata in front of him. "So it's a pretty tough Pokemon," he mused, grabbing an empty poke ball from his other pocket. "Sounds perfect for my team; go poke ball!" As David yelled this, he hurled the red and white sphere straight towards Rattata, whom it hit square on the forehead. The poke ball proceeded to bounce up into the air and open, engulfing the purple-furred Pokemon in a bright red light. This red light was then sucked up into the open poke ball, which fell to the ground and closed upon obtaining Rattata.

"Yes, I caught it!" cried David excitedly, but his celebration was quickly interrupted by the poke ball beginning to roll from side to side, a red light on the button blinking on and off. Then, without warning, the poke ball burst open, releasing Rattata from within its confines. The small rodent Pokemon, now free, glared at David angrily before scurrying off into the long grass. The young Pokemon trainer watched, crestfallen, as Rattata disappeared from view.

"Why didn't it stay inside the poke ball?" he murmured sadly, bending down to pick up his discarded sphere.

Annabel cleared her throat, drawing David's attention. "From what I learned at Professor Willow's laboratory, I think you have to battle a Pokemon and weaken it before you can capture it. Otherwise, the Pokemon won't stay inside the poke ball because it is strong enough to escape."

David's shoulders slumped. "You could've told me that before," he muttered bitterly.

"Well sorry!" was Annabel's indignant reply. "It's not my fault you rushed into the capture without giving me a chance to lecture you!"

David, deciding that this failed capture wasn't worth arguing over, shrugged. "Never mind," he said, "shall we keep going?"

Annabel, apparently agreeing to end the argument, nodded. "I think we're nearly there to be honest." She sniffed the air. "I can definitely smell the sea."

Breathing in deeply, David couldn't help acknowledging the fact that the air did smell slightly salty. "Come on, it can't be far now!" he urged, before charging off down the road towards the Cove, not waiting to see whether Annabel and Squirtle were following or not.

After a couple of minutes, in which David had slowed down from a sprint to a jog, the Cove finally came into view. It truly was a beautiful sight, and it made David catch his breath. He was standing atop a hill that looked down over the entire Cove, and the fourteen year old couldn't help but marvel. There was a huge, semi-circular, sandy coloured rocky wall that made up the half of the Cove that faced out towards the sea. Within this rock were numerous caves and alcoves, along with jutted bits of rock that hung out over the sandy ground below. The other half of the Cove consisted of the sea, which reflected the bright light from the Sun and emphasised the beauty of the spectacle.

"Wow, I'm surprised I've never been here before," came Annabel's breathless voice from behind David.

"It truly is a natural wonder," agreed David. He turned to look back at Annabel and Squirtle. "Follow me. I need to go down to one of the caves."

"How come?" asked Annabel, raising an eyebrow.

David almost stopped himself from replying, for fear of sounding like an idiot. "I just want to see it one last time before I head off on my journey." He hoped that Annabel would understand, and fortunately she seemed to do so.

"Okay, we're right behind you David," she promised.

David smiled gratefully at Annabel before turning back to look out over the Cove. He felt his eyes moisten as he saw the cave in which he, Sam and George had sat in together with the rain pattering down outside. As he slowly made his way down the hill and into the Cove, David thought back to that day.

_Sam, George and David sat down in the spacious cave. The rain splashed down outside, making the once warm and soft sand wet and compact. _

_"__What a great day we've had," sighed George, leaning back and resting his head against the back wall of the cave. _

_"__I know; I don't want to go home!" exclaimed Sam sadly. _

_David looked at his two friends before grinning. "How about we hide in here so that we don't ever have to go home!"_

_The two youngsters cheered. _

_"__What a great idea David!" cried Sam, "and then we can do it all over again tomorrow!"_

_The boy laughed along with his friends. _

_"__You know what," sighed George, "when I'm older, I want to be a policeman, and when I get to go on holiday because of my great policeman skills, I'll come back here every time!" _

_Sam sniggered. "Well, when I grow up I want to be a burglar, so you'd better be a good policeman otherwise you'll never catch me!" The duo grinned at one and other and took to the floor in a playful scuffle. _

_When they had finished play-fighting, they turned to David. _

_"__What do you want to be when you grow up David?" asked George, curiously. "You've never said before."_

_"__I don't know." David stared out of the cave mouth at the pouring rain. "I guess I've always wanted to be a Pokemon trainer," he replied slowly. _

_"__That's a pretty cool dream," said Sam, respectfully. "That's what my Dad wants me to be, but I don't really like Pokemon."_

_"__Yeah, awesome dream David! You'd better not let us down now! One day we'll be watching you on TV having a really cool Pokemon battle!" breathed George. _

_David grinned. He'd never really considered properly trying to become a Pokemon trainer up until that point, but now that he'd said it aloud, he realised just how much he wanted to be one. "You know what George," he said, turning back to his friends, "I'm going to make sure that I become a top Pokemon trainer! Watch out, because I'm going to be the best in the world!"_

After that, David, Sam and George's parents had found them and taken them home.

Thinking back to that day made David sad, especially his memories of Sam and George, whom he would likely not be seeing again for a very long time.

Soon enough, David had arrived at his destination; the little cave that he had sat in with his two best friends all those years ago.

"Wow," sighed David, "haven't been here in a while." He slowly popped his head in through the cave mouth and entered, surveying the walls and ceiling. "It's exactly as it was before!" The teenager sat down at the cave mouth and brought his knees up to his chin.

Annabel smiled at David. "Squirtle and I will leave you to your thoughts," she said, politely excusing herself.

After Annabel and Squirtle had gone, David breathed in deeply, trying to calm the flood of emotions that were building up inside of him. It was good to be back in Champions Cove. He felt as if he belonged there; it was like a second home to him. David turned to look into the back of the cave, where George and Sam had been sitting all that time ago. _This is where my dream began, and so this is where my journey shall begin_, he thought determinedly, before drawing Bulbasaur's poke ball out of his pocket. "And I think we should start it together," said David. "Come on out Bulbasaur!" The poke ball in his hand burst open, releasing a blinding white light. The light settled itself on the cave floor and disappeared, leaving the grass type Pokemon that David had picked earlier to be his first ever Pokemon in its place.

"Bulba?" The confused Pokemon glanced around at its surroundings.

"This is where our journey begins Bulbasaur," explained David. "From here-on-in, we're a team."

"Bulbasaur bulba!" the dinosaur-like Pokemon exclaimed happily, before extending a vine out of its onion-shaped bulb and holding it in the air in front of David.

Laughing, David playfully hi-fived Bulbasaur's offered vine. Then, becoming serious once more, he said "Bulbasaur, from now until we next come here, I swear that I will become a better person, and earn a full team of Pokemon's trust. When we are next here, I shall have more friends, and I will have made something of my journey, just as I promised Sam and George that I would."

Bulbasaur cocked its head, as if to say 'why are you telling me this?'

David smiled. "Don't worry about it Bulbasaur," he chuckled.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard, and David peered out of the cave mouth, expecting to see Annabel. Instead, he saw a woman of average height and build walking towards him. She had brown hair that was stylishly thick and long, brown eyes and a tanned complexion. On her top half she wore a white jumper, and on her legs she sported a pair of dark blue jeans.

"That was an admirable vow to make," declared the woman, coming right up to the cave-mouth and standing beside it.

David looked up at the woman, puzzled. "Who are you and how on earth did you hear what I just said?" he inquired, bewildered.

"Who I am is of no concern," was the woman's riddling reply. "And in answer to your other question, I hear many things."

The woman's words didn't answer either of David's questions; they simply batted them away as if they were leaves in the breeze.

"So ... yeah, thanks for that," replied David, turning away from the woman in an attempt to get her to go away. Unfortunately, she remained where she was.

"You may think I am strange, David Masterson, but I know a lot more than you realise."

David felt his blood run cold, and he slowly swivelled back around to look at the woman. "How...how do you know my name?" he stammered nervously.

"As I said, I hear many things," replied the woman, now kneeling down beside David and Bulbasaur. "Let me tell you this young trainer, I will make sure you keep to your word. Next time you come here, I shall test you to see whether or not you have fulfilled the vow you made today."

This made no sense once again. How would she ever know when he came back? And even if she did somehow turn up on the same day David returned, why-ever was she taking it upon herself to test him to see whether he had succeeded in keeping his vow or not?

"Right..." David squirmed under the woman's intense gaze. "Well nice to meet you and all, but Bulbasaur and I really must be going. Come on Bulbasaur." David scrambled to his feet and squeezed out of the cave mouth past the woman, who smelt oddly of freshly mown grass. Then, without looking back, he and Bulbasaur powered their way over to Annabel and Squirtle, who were sitting atop a reasonably flat-surfaced rock.

"All done?" asked Annabel.

"Yep, we're ready to go now!" exclaimed David, anxious to get a move on.

Annabel raised an eyebrow before looking past David. "Who's your friend?"

David shook his head. "She's not my friend," he replied, "I've never met her before in my life! She just came over and started saying some weird stuff about knowing everything..."

"I see." Annabel nodded. "Okay then, shall we get going?"

"Yes!" exclaimed David, impatiently. "Let's get this journey started!"

Annabel laughed. "Come on then," she said, standing up from the rock and grinning. David grinned back, and the two trainers and their Pokemon began to head off up the hill and towards Greenvale village once more.

The woman watched the duo leave and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a smile. "Until next time, David Masterson." She then pirouetted 180 degrees and strolled off, soon disappearing within the thin film of mist that had begun to settle over the Cove.

Having skirted around the border of Greenvale village, to prevent any awkward encounters with people who believed that David had already left on his journey, the duo were back on the road and heading for Ashagrove town. Annabel had her huge map out again, and was thoughtfully pondering over it.

"To get to Ashagrove town, we have to pass through the Ashwood forest," she explained warily. "I've heard stories of travellers getting lost in there and not finding their way out for weeks!"

David rolled his eyes. "We'll make sure we just stick to the path then, won't we?" he sighed. "Come on Annabel, I'm pretty sure we can follow a road through a forest."

Annabel studied David with dubious eyes, before finally giving in. "Okay, I know; I'm probably worrying too much. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Smiling, David nodded. "Don't worry, it'll be all right. We'll be in and out of there as quick as a flash. Now, are we going to stand here talking all day or should we get going?"

Annabel laughed. "You're so impatient David, you know that?"

David winked at Annabel. "You'd better get used to it," he chided, before turning away from the girl and beginning to walk down the path towards the ever-looming forest. His journey was finally underway! He now had all the equipment he needed to become the Pokemon Master that he had wanted to be ever since that day with Sam and George down at Champions Cove.

_Let's make this journey a good one,_ David thought to himself. _Let's make it a journey we'll never forget. _


	3. False Start

**False Start**

There was a rustle in the bushes to David's left. He span around, but saw nothing. Ever since he and Annabel had entered the Ashwood forest, the wild Pokemon had become incredibly shy and elusive, and it was beginning to wear away at his patience.

"All I want to do is catch a Pokemon!" David cried forlornly.

Annabel, who was walking beside David, sighed audibly. "Come on David, you've got Bulbasaur, why do you need any more Pokemon right now?"

"Because to be a Pokemon master I need to have more than one Pokemon!" exclaimed David. "And I bet Andy's caught loads already!"

"Well you don't need to compare yourself to Andy," scolded Annabel. "From what I've heard, he's an arrogant so-and-so! Why would you want to be like that?"

David shrugged. "You wouldn't understand."

Before Annabel could shoot an angry reply at him, there came another rustling in the bushes, this time to David's right. "This one's not getting away," vowed David, grabbing a poke ball from his pocket and hurling it into the air. "Go Bulbasaur!" The poke ball burst open, releasing the quadruped, dinosaur-like Pokemon that David had chosen to start his Pokemon journey with.

"Bulbasaur!" exclaimed Bulbasaur, ready for battle.

"Okay then Bulbasaur, use your vines to reach into those bushes and grab whatever's in there!"

The grass type was quick to obey, two vines propelling out of its bulb and into the bush that had moved. There came the sound of a Pokemon's surprised cry as Bulbasaur's vines wrapped themselves around it and drew it out into the open.

"Good work Bulbasaur," praised David, smiling at his loyal friend. He then turned his attention to the small, wriggling creature within Bulbasaur's vines. It looked like a green caterpillar, with yellow ring-shaped markings imprinted down the sides of its body. It had a bright red antennae protruding from its forehead, and large circular markings around its eyes.

"What is that?" murmured Annabel curiously, drawing her Poke'Dex out and pointing the lens of it at the struggling Pokemon. Immediately her Poke'Dex's top screen slid out from behind the bottom touch screen, and lit up, displaying a picture of the creature within Bulbasaur's grasp.

"Caterpie," the Poke'Dex's mechanical voice rang out, "the Worm Pokemon. Caterpie uses the suction cups on its feet to climb trees and feed on its favourite leaves."

"So it's a bug type Pokemon," assumed David, who had also been listening to Annabel's Poke'Dex. "Well then Caterpie, it's time for you to join my team. Bulbasaur, release it so that we can battle."

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur slowly relaxed its vine's grip on Caterpie's body, and placed it gently on the ground. The grass type then withdrew its vines and bowed its head; it was raring to go. However, before David could even call an attack, the little caterpillar-like Pokemon had wriggled off into the bushes once more.

David clenched his fists, realising his mistake in telling Bulbasaur to release it from its vines. "Oh no you don't Caterpie," he growled, turning to look at Bulbasaur. "Come on, let's get after it!" David then sprinted off into the bushes after the fleeing Caterpie, with Bulbasaur close behind him.

"Hold on!" Annabel yelled after the charging figures of David and Bulbasaur. "We don't want to stray too far from the road!" Realising that the bull-headed teenager and his Pokemon weren't listening to her, Annabel rolled her eyes and, going against her better judgement, stepped off of the path and sprinted off after David and Bulbasaur.

Caterpie was a hard Pokemon to track through the bushes and the trees, but David wasn't about to give up. He narrowed his eyes and focused entirely on the wriggling figure of the worm Pokemon, as it ducked under roots and jumped through shrubs. As he ran, David could hear Annabel behind him, breathing heavily. He gritted his teeth. They'd have to do something quickly otherwise Caterpie would have them running through the trees all day!

"Okay, Bulbasaur, use you vines to propel yourself up and through the air!" exclaimed David.

Bulbasaur, using its vines like a pole in a pole vault competition, launched itself into the air, soaring high above the canopy of the trees. For a moment, David thought that Bulbasaur may have misjudged its jump, but he was quickly reassured when he saw it crash through the branches in front of Caterpie and land a couple of paces away from it. The frightened bug type skidded to a halt before trying to run the opposite way. However, it didn't have the chance to as once again Bulbasaur wrapped its vines around the little creature and drew it up into the air.

"Now's our chance," murmured David, "Bulbasaur..." He stopped in mid-sentence before turning sheepishly to look at Annabel, who had just caught up with them. "You wouldn't by any chance know what moves Bulbasaur can use?" he asked the stunned girl politely.

Annabel almost fell over she was so taken aback by the comment. "David, surely you looked up Bulbasaur's moves before we came on this journey?" she hissed angrily.

David felt himself going red in the face with embarrassment. "Well...I..." he began, before realising it was no use and sighing. "Okay Annabel, I admit it, I didn't check."

Furiously, Annabel yelled at David. "Well then this diversion from the path was pointless wasn't it! Now we're lost and you don't even know how to battle the Pokemon that you were chasing!"

"Now hold on a second Annabel...!" retorted David, not noticing Bulbasaur frantically trying to get his attention with one of its vines.

"Bulba!" it exclaimed, trying desperately to hold on to the struggling Caterpie that David had been wanting to capture. "Bulba bulba!"

"...and I could've sworn I said that I've heard stories about people getting lost in these woods and not finding their way out for weeks..."

"Bulbasaur, saur bulba!" cried the grass type Pokemon, as Caterpie finally wriggled free of its vine and fled into the bushes.

"...well if you'd just tell me how to find Bulbasaur's moves out, then we could catch that Caterpie and find our way back to the path! It's not like we strayed miles into the forest!"

"BULBASAUR!"

David and Annabel immediately stopped their argument and turned to look at Bulbasaur.

"What's wrong buddy?" asked David, his anger receding.

"Bulbasaur, bulba bulba!" David's friend pointed off into the bushes with its vines.

David, finally understanding, fell to his knees in despair. "Oh great," he groaned, "it got away..."

Annabel put her hands on her hips irritably. "Well, that was worth it wasn't it?" she muttered.

David ignored the girl's bitter remark and instead looked at Bulbasaur. "Sorry for not listening to you," he murmured to his friend. "And sorry for not looking up your attacks. If I had, we could've caught that Caterpie no doubt!"

"Bulbasaur bulba!" agreed the dinosaur-like Pokemon. It then hit David on the back with its vine and backed off.

Rubbing his back, David mumbled "what did you do that for Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur looked at David for a second before charging towards him at full pelt. However, this time David was prepared, and he launched himself out of the way. He chuckled. "I see what you're doing now Bulbasaur," he said. "You're showing me what moves you know aren't you?"

The grass type inclined its head; glad to see that David was catching on.

"So, what you've shown me so far is Vine Whip and Tackle attacks," said the fourteen year-old, totting up on his fingers the number of times Bulbasaur had attacked him. "What else do you know?"

Bulbasaur, without replying, bowed its head and pointed the bulb on its back towards David. Puzzled, David watched on as a seed formed in the mouth of the bulb, and began to crackle with red energy. Then, without warning, the seed shot out of the onion-shaped bulb and embedded itself in David's hoodie. The seed opened up and out of it burst a number of vines that wrapped themselves around David and began to zap him with their red energy. This energy then travelled back through the air towards Bulbasaur and hit it, but instead of doing damage to the Pokemon, the energy seemed to be doing the opposite, revitalising it.

"Okay Bulbasaur!" exclaimed David, as he experienced another zapping from the vines. "I get it, you know Leech Seed ... now can you free me please?"

Bulbasaur grinned before opening its mouth and breathing out. Somehow, this caused the seed to retract the vines that encircled David's body and fall to the floor, limp and powerless.

_Pokemon really are amazing creatures_ thought David, as he dusted himself down and climbed back to his feet. "Wow Bulbasaur, you know some pretty awesome moves," he said. "I can't wait until our first battle!"

"Humph!" came Annabel's indignant voice from behind. David sighed. She was still annoyed with him.

"Look, Annabel, I'm sorry," he said, standing up and turning around to face her.

"Your apologies don't help," grumbled Annabel. "We're still lost in this forest thanks to you and your recklessness!" There was silence for a moment, as Annabel seemed to be deep in thought. "But thanks for apologising. I understand...I guess."

David felt the awkward atmosphere lift and he couldn't help but smile, even though they were in a bit of a predicament. "That's all right," he said cheerfully, "and about the path, I really don't think we can be that far from it!"

Annabel raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?" she asked, before spreading her arms out wide. "I don't even know which direction we came from!"

Looking around, David felt his good mood dampen slightly. Annabel was right; there were absolutely no clues as to which direction they had come from! "Surely we must have left a trail!" exclaimed David, scanning the bushes. But, despite this wishful thinking, there was nothing. "Oh dear..." the young trainer murmured. They could be stuck in the forest for days, weeks even! Not a good start to his Pokemon journey.

"Bulbasaur," came David's friend's weak voice.

David span around, wondering why the grass type sounded so feeble all of a sudden, to see it laying down on its side, its vines placed upon its stomach. Still confused, David rushed over to his Pokemon's side and knelt down beside it. "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

"Bulba," moaned Bulbasaur. Its stomach rumbled.

David almost fainted with relief. "Bulbasaur, don't scare me like that!" he cried, "I thought you were ill!"

Bulbasaur grinned weakly before rubbing its belly with its vines again. It was then that David realised that he didn't know what to feed his hungry Pokemon. Turning slowly to face Annabel, David put on his nicest smile. "Umm, Annabel..." He paused.

"Yes?" replied the girl.

"You wouldn't happen to have anything on you that Bulbasaur could eat? It's just...well, it seems I've come unprepared..."

Annabel, who was obviously trying not to get mad at David's negligence, silently reached into her backpack and tossed David a small, tin can, with a yellow sticker wrapped around it. On this yellow sticker was painted a green leaf, which David assumed signified that this can was full of food for grass type Pokemon.

"Thanks Annabel," he said gratefully, "you're a life saver."

Still saying nothing, Annabel got out another tin of food that had a sticker with a droplet of water printed on it. She then released her Squirtle and took the lid off of the tin. Squirtle's eyes lit up as it saw the contents of the tin, and it quickly began to stuff its face full with the brown biscuits inside.

Copying Annabel, David opened the tin for Bulbasaur and placed it in front of it. Bulbasaur tentatively sniffed the tin, unsure of what was inside. Pleased with what it smelt, however, the hungry Pokemon reached its vines out of its bulb, wrapped them around the tin, and emptied the entire contents into its open mouth. Still chewing, Bulbasaur tossed the tin back at David and laid down, closing its eyes as it did so.

"Nap time is it?" laughed David, placing the empty tin in his bag.

"Squirtle!" exclaimed Squirtle in response to David's question. It charged over to where Bulbasaur was laying and rested its head against the grass type's bulb. Within seconds, the two Pokemon were fast asleep.

David sighed, shaking his head in amazement. How could they get to sleep so quickly? He then turned to look at Annabel. It was time for him to make his apologies for being such an imbecile. "Hey, umm, Annabel?"

Annabel grunted in acknowledgement.

"Look," sighed David. "I'm sorry. I know I'm a bit of a useless travelling partner. I know nothing about Pokemon and to be honest, I'm a bit unprepared for this whole journey of ours. I'm sorry for not listening to you and running off of the path after Caterpie and I'm sorry for just generally being thick-skulled. I hope you'll forgive me, because I need someone like you who is organised and knows at least a little bit about Pokemon on my side, otherwise I'm never going to get anywhere!"

Annabel let out a deep breath, as if releasing all of the anger from inside of her. She then smiled at David. "Don't worry David, I forgive you," she said. "And seriously, if it hadn't been for you, I would never have gotten to go on this journey which I have now realised was a blessing in disguise for me. I needed to get out and see the world for myself, just like the Professor said, and so thank you for being in the right place at the right time."

David could barely stop his jaw from dropping. Annabel was actually thanking him for something? That was a first. "So, we're equal?"

"Yeah," Annabel nodded, although she looked a bit puzzled at her own decision. "Although, you owe me a tin of grass type Pokemon food!"

Laughing, David shook his head. "But you don't even have a grass type Pokemon! Why do you need another tin?"

Annabel shrugged, also laughing. "You never know, it might come in handy one day!"

The two trainers sat there chuckling for a moment or two, before lying down on the ground beside their Pokemon.

"Don't worry David; I'll let you off then, seeing as you don't have any Pokemon food while I have plenty. When we reach Ashagrove town though, if we ever do, we'll probably need to replenish our supplies," explained Annabel.

"Good idea," said David. "And Annabel, we'll find a way out of here. No problem."

"If you say so," sighed Annabel.

David nodded, even though he knew Annabel couldn't see him. _We'll find a way out of this forest no doubt, _he thought to himself confidently, _and who knows? I may even catch a Pokemon on the way._ His eyes began to droop, and he realised just how exhausted he was. _Just a quick nap_ David thought drowsily, _we'll be back on our way to Ashagrove town in no time..._

"Squirtle, wake them up with a water gun attack."

_That wasn't Annabel's voice,_ was the only thought David had before a torrent of water crashed into his face. His eyes sprang open and he leapt to his feet, dripping wet and shivering. Turning to confront his assailant, David narrowed his eyes. Standing before him, with a long fringe of black hair and dark eyes, was none other than his rival, Andy Fallworth. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black jacket over a white T-shirt. He had a smug look on his face and a large Squirtle standing before him.

"What did you do that for?" snapped David angrily. Bulbasaur, Annabel and Squirtle were groggily waking up now also.

"Nice to see you too David," smirked Andy. He gestured at David's friends. "You've got quite a crowd building up around you. Shame that they'll slow you down on your journey."

David felt his lip curl. "These are my friends," he murmured angrily.

"Hmmm," mused Andy, "well, I must say, they look like pretty weak friends. That Squirtle is puny compared to mine and I don't know what to say about that Bulbasaur. Pathetic is all."

Clenching his fists, David took a step forwards. "You should know better than to pick a fight when you're outnumbered, Andy," he warned.

"Oh, I know exactly who I can and can't pick a fight with," retorted Andy. "I could take all four of you on and still not break into a sweat."

David was about to retort when Annabel cut in. "So, this is Andy?" she said, looking the boy up and down. "Seems like he's trying to prove something by acting tough, doesn't it?"

David's rival stiffened and looked at the girl. "And who would you be?" he asked, with a false courtesy to his voice.

"I'm Annabel, Professor Willow's apprentice," replied Annabel proudly.

Andy raised an eyebrow. "Well you're obviously doing a good job," he said sarcastically, "you're Squirtle looks really powerful!"

Annabel's body shook with rage. "How dare you mock my Squirtle!" she hissed. "I challenge you to a Pokemon battle to prove how strong my Squirtle is!"

"Hmmm." Andy pondered the offer. "Let me ask you, how much training have you done with your Squirtle?"

"Loads!" lied Annabel.

Andy smirked before gesturing down at his own Squirtle. It dwarfed Annabel's little turtle Pokemon and looked as if it would easily defeat it in battle. "I have already battled five trainers and won every match with my Squirtle," he bragged. "It is at a much higher level than yours and oh-so much bigger, so I don't see the point in wasting my time winning a battle that won't benefit me in any way, shape, or form."

"Why you...!" growled Annabel, but her resolve to challenge Andy seemed a little weaker than it had before, as if she had already accepted the fact that she would lose to his superior Squirtle.

Looking smugger than ever, Andy turned back to face David. "On the other hand, beating that Bulbasaur, which I assume is yours, David, would not only give Squirtle great experience, it would also be extremely pleasurable for me. If Squirtle can take down a grass-type that should have a type advantage over it, well, it will just be too good to be true."

David gritted his teeth and glanced over at Annabel, who looked furious. If Andy was challenging him he would take up the gauntlet and defeat him, for Annabel as well as for himself. "I suppose that's a challenge Andy?" declared David, straightening up.

Andy shrugged casually. "Yeah, why not? It'd be good to record my first type disadvantage win against you."

"And it'd be good to record my first win against you," David murmured under his breath. "I accept!"

The corner of Andy's mouth twitched upwards into a half smile, and he beckoned for David to follow him. "Well then, I've got the perfect area for a battle," he said, before sauntering off into the trees with his Squirtle not far behind him.

David slowly made his way after Andy, ducking under a couple of low hanging tree branches that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Bulbasaur walked beside him, whilst Annabel and Squirtle could be heard following behind. None of them wanted to see David lose to his arrogant rival, and David was going to make sure that he didn't let them down.

Soon enough, David, Bulbasaur and the others found themselves in a small clearing, surrounded on all sides by the forest. The grass was longer here than under the trees and a few flowers littered the field.

Andy, who was already standing at one end of the clearing with Squirtle in front of him called across to David. "If you're friends want to watch I hope they're ready to see how a true Pokemon and trainer battle."

Without replying, David went to stand at the opposite end of the clearing to Andy.

Bulbasaur bounded out onto the field in front of him and faced Squirtle, its head bowed and its body poised.

_Before we begin, I should take a look at Squirtle on the Poke'Dex_, thought David. He drew the red, cuboid object out of his pocket and pointed the camera on the back of it at Andy's water-type Pokemon. Upon recognition, the back screen of the Poke'Dex slid out from behind the front screen and clicked into place. A picture of Squirtle then appeared on the top screen and a mechanical voice rang out across the field.

"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. This Pokemon's shell is a highly useful tool, allowing Squirtle to withdraw inside to protect itself from opponent's attacks. It can launch powerful water attacks with amazing range and accuracy also, meaning that Squirtle has the perfect blend of offensive and defensive power."

Having finished informing David on his upcoming opponent, the Poke'Dex's top screen slid back down behind the bottom screen and the machine became dormant once more. David slipped it back into his pocket. Squirtle was going to be a tough first opponent. Taking a deep breath, the messy-haired teenager locked eyes with his arch-rival. This was his first battle as a Pokemon trainer. He couldn't get off to a bad start with a loss; he had to win.

"Let's get this battle started!" exclaimed David, adrenalin coursing through his veins.

"You may have the first move!" called Andy, "you'll need it!"

David, ignoring Andy's jibe, pointed a finger at his rival and yelled a battle cry. "Bulbasaur, use tackle!"

Almost immediately, Bulbasaur launched itself at Squirtle, tearing its way through the long grass towards it.

"Squirtle, withdraw!" was Andy's reply. The turtle Pokemon was quick to react, leaping into the air and drawing its arms, legs and head back inside its smooth-surfaced shell.

Upon seeing this, David gulped. The Poke'Dex had warned that Squirtle's shell could protect it effectively against attacks and so he was worried about whether Bulbasaur's tackle would only end up backfiring. It was too late to call off the attack now though, and so David stood and watched as Bulbasaur collided head on with Squirtle's solid shell.

For a second, nothing happened. Bulbasaur stood motionless with its head pressed against Squirtle's shell. Then, without warning, the grass-type was sent flying backwards and crashing into the ground at David's feet.

Andy's laugh was loud and hysterical. "Is that the best you've got?" he cried, through fits of snickering. "Your Bulbasaur really is pathetic David!"

Clenching his fists in anger, David quickly called his next attack. "Let's show them your leech seed Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba!" It bowed its head and pointed the bulb on its back towards Squirtle's shell. A seed began to form in the mouth of the bulb and it crackled with red energy. This seed was then released from Bulbasaur's bulb and flew through the air, landing squarely on top of Squirtle's shell. However, unable to find a grip on the smooth surface, the seed slipped off of Squirtle's shell and onto the ground, rendered useless.

Andy laughed again. "You don't have a clue what you're doing, do you David?"

David didn't reply.

With an overly dramatic yawn, Andy nodded. "I thought not." There was a pause. "Let's get this battle over with Squirtle. It's becoming boring. Come out of your shell and use water gun!"

The turtle Pokemon's limbs and head popped out of the openings in its shell. Squirtle then puffed out its chest and opened its mouth, letting loose a jet of water from it. This pressurised water crashed into Bulbasaur, sending it skidding backwards through the long grass. However, it remained on its feet.

Fuelled by Bulbasaur's determination not to give in, David told his friend to use vine whip on its opponent. This time, the attack made contact, as Squirtle was caught directly in the midriff by two, long green vines that had emerged from beneath Bulbasaur's bulb. Squirtle was sent toppling over but it caught itself with its hands before it could injure itself from the fall. It pushed itself back up into an upright position.

Although the attack had done little damage, David could see that Andy and Squirtle were shaken by it, as they were suddenly less arrogant and more sullen in their demeanour. They hadn't been expecting David and Bulbasaur to put up any sort of challenge.

"So you do know something about battling, David," said Andy slowly. "Problem is, if that's all you've got you're still not going to win." He glanced over at Annabel with her Squirtle. They were sitting at the edge of the clearing watching the battle with great interest. "Squirtle," said Andy, turning back to his battling partner, "let's give them a finale they'll never forget."

"Squirtle squirt!" replied the water type in agreement.

"Run and then use withdraw!"

David was caught off-guard by this peculiar command from Andy, and was unsure how to react to it. "Bulbasaur, be ready," was all he could think of to say as Squirtle charged towards the dinosaur-like Pokemon. Halfway to Bulbasaur, the turtle Pokemon leapt into the air and withdrew its arms, legs, head and tail back into its shell. The shell then landed on the ground and began skidding through the long grass towards Bulbasaur.

Realising too late that the momentum from Squirtle's run would cause it to continue moving when it withdrew into its shell, David watched on in awe as Squirtle's shell crashed into Bulbasaur with the force of a freight train. The grass type was sent flying through the air, colliding with a tree at the edge of the clearing and causing leaves and branches to come loose. Bulbasaur then fell to the ground with a thud and didn't get back up.

"Bulbasaur!" David raced over to his fallen partner, anxiety welling up inside of him. He reached the faint Pokemon's side and picked it up gently.

Annabel and her Squirtle were soon at David's side.

"Bulbasaur needs medical help!" David told them urgently."Do you have any medicine in your bag Annabel?"

Annabel shook her head. "I'm sorry David."

"Well, that went well." It was Andy's petulant voice. David span around to see his dark eyed rival standing a couple of paces away.

"Is that all you have to say!" demanded David, the anger he felt towards the boy spilling out. "Can't you see that Bulbasaur's hurt?"

Andy smirked. "If it was better trained, it wouldn't have ended up getting so injured would it?"

David ignored him and looked back down at Bulbasaur with concern.

Andy turned to walk away, then, thinking better of it, stopped and reached inside his pocket. He drew out a fist sized blue berry with a white stalk and tossed it towards David. David, seeing it out of the corner of his eye, caught it deftly in one hand.

"That's an Oran berry!" exclaimed Annabel, seeing David catch the fruit. "That can be used to revitalise Pokemon that are low on energy!"

Realising what he was holding, David hurriedly waved the berry in front of Bulbasaur's nose, hoping that the smell of the fruit might awaken it enough to be able to eat it. "Bulbasaur, eat this," urged David, "It's an Oran berry. It can help you regain your strength."

Weakly, Bulbasaur opened one eye. Seeing the fruit in David's palm, the grass type opened its mouth and gently took the berry from its trainer. It then closed its mouth around it and chewed it down before swallowing.

After a couple of tense seconds, Bulbasaur shook itself and stood up, the effects of the battle seemingly expelled from its system.

David couldn't contain his relief. He wrapped his friend in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay Bulbasaur," he murmured. Then, releasing Bulbasaur from his embrace, David turned back to where Andy had been standing. However, the dark haired boy and his Squirtle had disappeared without a trace.

"I guess he didn't want to stick around," said Annabel, looking at David and shrugging.

David frowned before turning away. The result of the battle with his rival was beginning to settle in now, and David felt the anger he held towards the boy returning. "Well, good riddance anyway."

Annabel sighed, knowing that losing the battle in such fashion had really annoyed David. "Well, I think we should make camp here for the night anyway," she said, changing the subject. "Then tomorrow we can get back to finding our way out of this forest."

The wind picked up as the two trainers stood there in silence, with Bulbasaur and Squirtle sitting at their feet.

"It's getting cold and late. I'm off to get some firewood," announced Annabel. Knowing that David was too upset about losing to reply, she strode off into the forest without looking back, with Squirtle hurrying off after her to help.

David watched the two of them go. He knew that being in a mood wasn't helping anybody, but he'd had just about enough. Ever since Andy had run into them, his day had gone rapidly downhill. First of all, the boy had insulted him and his friends. Next, he had completely humiliated David in his first ever battle, and finally, he had added insult to injury by being the one to give Bulbasaur the Oran berry to heal it.

Laying down and putting his hands behind his head, David looked up at the slowly darkening sky. Could he ever be a Pokemon Master if he couldn't even beat a water type Pokemon with his Bulbasaur? Andy's victory had seemed so routine and simple that David wondered whether he'd even made the right decision to go on his journey in the first place. Maybe he should've just stayed in Greenvale village and continued with his day-to-day life.

Sighing, the teenager looked over at Bulbasaur and met his friend's eyes. There was a fire in them, and David realised that Bulbasaur felt just as passionate and upset about losing the battle as he did. It, like him, was determined not to lose next time. David felt his mood brighten slightly. If he hadn't come on this journey, he never would have met Bulbasaur, Annabel or Squirtle. Already, he couldn't imagine life without them.

"Next time we see Andy, we'll beat him," promised David, looking his friend in the eye. "We'll be the ones having the last laugh then."

"Bulbasaur, bulba bulba!" exclaimed Bulbasaur, nodding. It was determined not to let its friend down again.

David smiled. They may be lost in the forest, but they still had each other. That, at the moment, was all he needed.


End file.
